In just one week Hong Kong has witnessed two of its largest ever protests, as well its most violent protest in decades. At the forefront of these demonstrations are young people, many barely out of their teens. Why did they get involved - and how did they manage to force the government's hand? "We screamed at people to run." "My parents kicked me out after the protests." "It was the first time I got tear-gassed - tears were coming uncontrollably out of my eyes." "I'm afraid to give my real name." These are not words anybody would have expected to come out of the mouths of Hong Kongers - and certainly not ones aged between 17 and 21. Until recently the stereotype of a "typical" Hong Kong teen would have been one more interested in studying or making money than political activism or creative thinking. But last week saw the streets around Hong Kong's legislature taken over by young people wearing masks, setting up barricades, and throwing gas canisters back at police. Many of them were even too young to have taken part in the last Hong Kong protest to hold the world's media rapt - the 2014 Umbrella protests, when tens of thousands of people slept in the streets for weeks, demanding democratic elections. Fear of the Chinese futureThe 2014 protests - which were also known as the Occupy Central protests - ended without any concessions from the government. This time round it has been different. The latest demonstrations, against a controversial bill that would allow people in Hong Kong to be extradited to mainland China has, strikingly, forced the government to apologise, and pause its plans - effectively shelving them say many analysts. So what is different this time round? And what role has this generation of young activists risking tear gas, rubber bullets, and even arrest (let alone their future employment prospects) played? Hong Kong's youth have experienced something of a political awakening in the last two decades - the proportion of registered voters aged 18-35 rose from 58% in 2000, to 70% in 2016. And it's not surprising, when you consider that Hong Kong's political future is an increasingly pressing issue. The territory currently enjoys special rights and freedoms due to a handover agreement between the British, who previously colonised Hong Kong, and the Chinese government. But in 2047, the agreement enshrining Hong Kong's special status expires - and nobody really knows what will happen then. For today's youth, 2047 feels strikingly close - and their protest is driven by this uncertainty, as well as a feeling that the Chinese government is closing in anyway. No longer certain the system will protect them, they are modifying their protest techniques and learning the art of sophisticated dissent. Every single protester I interviewed who had taken part in Wednesday's unauthorised protests asked me to protect their identities - fearing arrest. "We kept face masks on at all times during the protest, and afterwards we tried to delete our records on our iPhones and Google Maps," says Dan, an 18-year-old student who helped protesters build a barricade with fences. Some have taken to buying paper train tickets, rather than using their prepaid travel cards - on the basis this could make it harder for the authorities to trace their whereabouts. Meanwhile, many have become cautious about what they say on public social media - and are only willing to communicate on secure apps with self-destruct functions, such as Telegram. "During the Occupy protests, most of us didn't think about protecting ourselves, we used Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp to spread messages. But this year, we see that freedom of speech is getting worse in Hong Kong," says Jackie, a 20-year-old student leader.